Prognostic factors for survivals from first relapse in breast cancer patients: analysis of deceased patients

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate prognostic factors for survival from first relapse (SFFR) in stage I-III breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 1994 to June 2008, 3,835 patients were treated with surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I-III breast cancer at Samsung Medical Center. Among them, a total of 224 patients died by June 2009, and 175 deaths were of breast cancer. Retrospective review was performed on medical records of 165 patients who met the inclusion criteria of this study. Univariate and multivariate analysis were done on survivals according to variables, such as age, stage, hormone status of tumor, disease-free interval (DFI), sites of first failure, number of organs involved by recurrent disease (NOR), application of salvage treatments, and existence of brain or liver metastasis (visceral metastasis). RESULTS: Patients' median overall survival time was 38 months (range, 8 to 123 months). Median SFFR was 17 months (range, 5 to 87 months). Ninety percent of deaths occurred within 40 months after first recurrence. The patients with SFFR ≤1 year had tendency of triple-negativity, shorter DFI (≤2 years), larger NOR (>3), visceral metastasis for first relapse than the patients with SFFR >1 year. In multivariate analysis, longer DFI (>2 vs. ≤2 years), absence of visceral metastasis, and application of salvage treatments were statistically significant prognosticators for longer SFFR. CONCLUSION: The DFI, application of salvage treatments, and visceral metastasis were significant prognostic factors for SFFR in breast cancer patients.